Shrubs - Flame Honeysuckle

The Flame Honeysuckle is a surprisingly serviceable informal shrub with a light floral accent for most any oasis or xeric garden theme. Its flowers strongly attracts hummingbirds. Older plants have a unique shedding bark character.  A strong attractor for hummingbirds.  In Phoenix, the Flame Honeysuckle is a partially deciduous to evergreen, semi-woody perennial shrub (depending on winter cold), upright and stiff to somewhat sprawling, 3 to 5 feet in height with similar spread.  Small, medium to dark green leaves with many, showy reddish-orange tubular flowers.  Blooms during much of warm growing season, most heavily in spring and late summer/early autumn.  This plant typically has no problem with the Phoenix heat, and will respond to Phoenix winter cold by reddening its foliage and/or becoming quiescent. Supplemental irrigations in desert areas are needed during summer months, otherwise water sparingly.

Other names include:  Texas firecracker, hummingbird bush

Scientific name:  Anisacanthus quad v. wrightii